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Visitor Comments: 15

(15)
Chaya Weisberg,
March 14, 2010 10:27 AM

I cried

so special, I just cried through the whole film.

(14)
,
March 12, 2010 4:49 PM

SPEECHLESS!

(13)
SusanE,
March 12, 2010 2:19 PM

Bring in the Clowns.

I look at the faces of those beautiful sick children. Doesn't your heart break for them? They are frightened and not fully understanding why they are hurting and sick. The nurses hurt them, the techs run hurtful tests, the surgeons cut into those small bodies. The little ones don't know who to trust for comfort and they don't know when it will all be over. ---------------------------- While nothing helps a childs fears and hurts more than the loving arms of it's mother, I would love to see the interaction between the clowns and children throughout a whole day. The Doctors in the videos said there have been remarkable results from the interchange between the clowns and the sick children. Did you notice in the video how easily the IV needle was removed, and how the one clown got the child into the examining area? ----------------------------- I also have read about Patch Adams, and saw parts of a movie about his work. I believe he a physician who acted the part of a clown for the sake of the patients. Are there any physicians taking the clown course in Israel so they can improve their interaction with the children?

(12)
Anonymous,
March 12, 2010 2:10 PM

To no.11

To be a medical clown is not a simple task. Imagine that the clown knows that he might be cheering up someone who is terminally ill. This is a very difficult task. To be a medical clown is a mitzvah - bikur holim. The humankind should be grateful for everyone who cares about the well-being of others and does not shrink from a responsibility.
If you think that your medical clowns are not enough amusing, perhaps you should get hospitalized only in Israel...

(11)
Anonymous,
March 12, 2010 1:50 AM

Medical "Clowns"

Very well done. We have medical clowns in the U.S. too. Unfortunately many of them are not amusing.

(10)
Anonymous,
March 9, 2010 5:34 AM

Very touching

Yes, the humour is the best medicine, it is a pitty there is such a disease as a cancer...and it is also it is also a pitty there are so many people without any sense of a humour.

(9)
Anonymous,
March 9, 2010 2:42 AM

1 concern

I have just one concern: what about coulrophobia (fear of clowns)? While the majority do not display such a phobia, it is very common, especially among young children.

(8)
Mark Douglas "Obey" Obenour,
March 8, 2010 12:50 PM

Some one must have watched the movie "Patch Adams".

This takes "Patch Adams" work at the Gesundheit Institute one step further...It actually makes Medical Clowns into a "paratherapist". Proving the Biblical Line...Laughter is the BEST MEDICINE! My question is why restrict it to pediatric wards? Everyone could use a good laught! (Except when you have belly pain...Then you could literally laugh so hard it hurts!) What a joy to watch!

(7)
Beverly Kurtin,
March 7, 2010 11:47 PM

A Tale of ICUs

Needless to say, Dr. Siegel knows what he's talking about. I have chronic health problems that have put me into the hospital from time-to-time. I laugh...a lot...and loudly. At one hospital's ICU where I was recovering from my first heart attack, I committed that hospital's rules: I was sick AND laughing. They shut my door rather quickly with someone saying "Don't you know there are sick people on this floor?" I was tempted, VERY tempted, to say, "No, can you hum me a verse or two?" A few months later, the angioplasty failed (pre-stent)and I requested that I go to a different hospital. There, they shut every door BUT mine. They thought that laughter was great. It's a shame more hospitals don't feel similarly.
When I have to go to the hospital, I pack a clown kit to amuse the staff and myself. I've yet to see "No Laughing" at the door of any hospital. Some folks get it, many more don't. I'm generally released from the hospital two to three days earlier than most other folks with similar maladies. I give credit to, of course, Hashem, but also for the gift of laughter I've been given.
I love what Israel is doing. I remember the movie about Patch Adams...laughter IS the best medicine!

(6)
moshe borowski,
March 7, 2010 9:48 PM

wow!!!

wow! tx for publicizing this powerful report. as a social worker (and Aish alum!) I have worked w pedicatric illness for a long time. this video highlights an amazing approach. Here in NY there is a child psychologist, Dr. Neal Goldberg, who trains teens to do 'clown work' on a volunteer basis. sometimes, 'clowning around' can help provide an incredible source of strength resilience. Aish, Hadassah clowns everywhere: keep up the great work!!

(5)
Anonymous,
March 7, 2010 9:11 PM

Good Choice For Background Music

I thought Gary Jules' song "Mad World" was a great choice for background music to this video.

(4)
ruth housman,
March 7, 2010 8:27 PM

Patch Adams!

Hi, I have a friend whose name is Dr. Patch Adams and he's been doing this for a long long time. His dream is the Gesundheit Institute, and perhaps you've heard of him. I think medical clowning is fabulous and I was surprised Patch wasn't mentioned in this video.
Bring on the clowns! We all know that humor is the best medicine.

I just got married and have an important question: Can we eat rice on Passover? My wife grew up eating it, and I did not. Is this just a matter of family tradition?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

The Torah instructs a Jew not to eat (or even possess) chametz all seven days of Passover (Exodus 13:3). "Chametz" is defined as any of the five grains (wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye) that came into contact with water for more than 18 minutes. Chametz is a serious Torah prohibition, and for that reason we take extra protective measures on Passover to prevent any mistakes.

Hence the category of food called "kitniyot" (sometimes referred to generically as "legumes"). This includes rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Even though kitniyot cannot technically become chametz, Ashkenazi Jews do not eat them on Passover. Why?

Products of kitniyot often appear like chametz products. For example, it can be hard to distinguish between rice flour (kitniyot) and wheat flour (chametz). Also, chametz grains may become inadvertently mixed together with kitniyot. Therefore, to prevent confusion, all kitniyot were prohibited.

In Jewish law, there is one important distinction between chametz and kitniyot. During Passover, it is forbidden to even have chametz in one's possession (hence the custom of "selling chametz"). Whereas it is permitted to own kitniyot during Passover and even to use it - not for eating - but for things like baby powder which contains cornstarch. Similarly, someone who is sick is allowed to take medicine containing kitniyot.

What about derivatives of kitniyot - e.g. corn oil, peanut oil, etc? This is a difference of opinion. Many will use kitniyot-based oils on Passover, while others are strict and only use olive or walnut oil.

Finally, there is one product called "quinoa" (pronounced "ken-wah" or "kin-o-ah") that is permitted on Passover even for Ashkenazim. Although it resembles a grain, it is technically a grass, and was never included in the prohibition against kitniyot. It is prepared like rice and has a very high protein content. (It's excellent in "cholent" stew!) In the United States and elsewhere, mainstream kosher supervision agencies certify it "Kosher for Passover" -- look for the label.

Interestingly, the Sefardi Jewish community does not have a prohibition against kitniyot. This creates the strange situation, for example, where one family could be eating rice on Passover - when their neighbors will not. So am I going to guess here that you are Ashkenazi and your wife is Sefardi. Am I right?

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (1194-1270), known as Nachmanides, and by the acronym of his name, Ramban. Born in Spain, he was a physician by trade, but was best-known for authoring brilliant commentaries on the Bible, Talmud, and philosophy. In 1263, King James of Spain authorized a disputation (religious debate) between Nachmanides and a Jewish convert to Christianity, Pablo Christiani. Nachmanides reluctantly agreed to take part, only after being assured by the king that he would have full freedom of expression. Nachmanides won the debate, which earned the king's respect and a prize of 300 gold coins. But this incensed the Church: Nachmanides was charged with blasphemy and he was forced to flee Spain. So at age 72, Nachmanides moved to Jerusalem. He was struck by the desolation in the Holy City -- there were so few Jews that he could not even find a minyan to pray. Nachmanides immediately set about rebuilding the Jewish community. The Ramban Synagogue stands today in Jerusalem's Old City, a living testimony to his efforts.

It's easy to be intimidated by mean people. See through their mask. Underneath is an insecure and unhappy person. They are alienated from others because they are alienated from themselves.

Have compassion for them. Not pity, not condemning, not fear, but compassion. Feel for their suffering. Identify with their core humanity. You might be able to influence them for the good. You might not. Either way your compassion frees you from their destructiveness. And if you would like to help them change, compassion gives you a chance to succeed.

It is the nature of a person to be influenced by his fellows and comrades (Rambam, Hil. De'os 6:1).

We can never escape the influence of our environment. Our life-style impacts upon us and, as if by osmosis, penetrates our skin and becomes part of us.

Our environment today is thoroughly computerized. Computer intelligence is no longer a science-fiction fantasy, but an everyday occurrence. Some computers can even carry out complete interviews. The computer asks questions, receives answers, interprets these answers, and uses its newly acquired information to ask new questions.

Still, while computers may be able to think, they cannot feel. The uniqueness of human beings is therefore no longer in their intellect, but in their emotions.

We must be extremely careful not to allow ourselves to become human computers that are devoid of feelings. Our culture is in danger of losing this essential aspect of humanity, remaining only with intellect. Because we communicate so much with unfeeling computers, we are in danger of becoming disconnected from our own feelings and oblivious to the feelings of others.

As we check in at our jobs, and the computer on our desk greets us with, "Good morning, Mr. Smith. Today is Wednesday, and here is the agenda for today," let us remember that this machine may indeed be brilliant, but it cannot laugh or cry. It cannot be happy if we succeed, or sad if we fail.

Today I shall...

try to remain a human being in every way - by keeping in touch with my own feelings and being sensitive to the feelings of others.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...